Educate Yourself

Working After Retirement Bill (SB327)

This bill allows retired teachers who retired on a normal service retirement and have been retired for a minimum of 12 months to return to work and continue receiving retirement benefits. "Normal service retirement" means the retiree must have retired on a service retirement with 30 years of service, regardless of age or 10 years of service and at least age 60. Local school systems would be allowed to employ a retiree as a full-time classroom teacher, principal, superintendent, media specialist, or counselor. A principal cannot return to work as a principal in the same school where they were employed prior to retirement. A superintendent cannot be employed as a superintendent by the same school system where they were employed prior to retirement.

Classroom teachers is defined as a certified teacher of pre-kindergarten through grade 12 employed by the public schools who has as his or her sole responsibility the academic instruciton of students in a classroom. Under the provisions of this bill, extracurricular employment in addition to classroom teaching, i.e. coaching, will no longer be eligible. Regional education services would be allowed to employ a retired teacher as an improvement specialist.

The salary paid to the retiree will be determined based on an agreement between the retiree and the employer. A school system employing a retiree must pay all employee and employer contributions to TRS as if the retiree was an active member of TRS. These working after retirement provisions will automatically be repealed on June 30, 2016.